Summary: Buffy is pregnant with Angel's kids.

Genre: Romance.

Main Couple: Buffy/Angelus.

Other Couples: Xander/Cordelia, Willow/Oz, Spike/Drusilla. Later on, we'll have Xander/Willow, Cordelia/Wesley.

Timeline: After Bewildered, Bewitched And Confusedand Passion, but before I Only Have Eyes For You, what means Jenny is dead, but Kendra is not.

Disclaimer: The babies and the unknown characters are mine; the known ones are not.

- Text -: Characters speaking.

Children Of Darkness.

First Chapter: Mommy To Be - Part 1 of 14

The first one to notice Buffy wasn't going through her periods was not Joyce, being the clueless mother she was, but Willow. The witch was searching Buffy's backpack for a pen and noticed, with a hint of worry, that there were no pads in her things for the second month in a row.

- Have you found it, Willow? – Buffy yelled.

- Hold on! – Willow shot back, digging deeper inside the bag. Her fingers brushed lightly against a paper and she pulled it out carefully: it was a sheet of Angel's stationary, with his antique-ish handwriting all over it.

The ginger witch sighed angrily and scrunched the letter into a little ball, but Buffy's supersensitive hearing picked up the soft noise of paper being smashed, and looked up. Her eyes widened in horror when she recognized what exactly Willow was destroying. With super speed she reached the witch and snatched the paper from her hands. And, before anyone made a noise, she left.


The plastic stick that would seal Buffy's fate was white and thin. The Slayer knew in her heart that she was pregnant, but maybe the lateness in her period was because of the amount of pressure she was under, and not because of a pregnancy.

So, while she waited for the results, she painted her toenails, updated her journal – she didn't write in it since her birthday -, sharpened a few stakes. After a few minutes, she clumsily walked to her restroom, where the pregnancy's test's stick and its box were.

There was a tiny pink positive sign on the result area. Buffy fell on her knees. She was pregnant. Inwardly, her hand flew to her belly. Focusing hard enough, she could feel two tiny lives growing rapidly inside her womb.

They were Angel's children. Both were a miracle she never hoped to have. Two miracles.

- No one will ever take them away from me, Angel – she whispered – No one, never – she repeated.


Willow prayed that her suspicions were wrong. If they were right, then Buffy was in big trouble. The witch watched her friend when she came in the library that morning – she was happier than Willow had seen her since Angel left, and always caressing her belly when she thought no one was seeing.

- I need to go to the bathroom – Buffy jumped up suddenly. Willow got up as well, as did Cordy.

- I'll go too – the redhead said a little too quickly.

- So will I – added the brunette.

- Okay, let's go – the blonde eyed them strangely. In the restroom, she chose a cabin, and Willow chose the next to hers. Cordelia took a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste out of her purse and proceeded to brush her teeth. Willow was delaying the talk, since there were two sophomores in the restroom as well. They left, and then Willow stepped out of her cabin, speaking loud enough so that, in her cabin, Buffy could hear her. From her spot, Cordelia nodded encouragingly at the redhead.

- I know, Buffy – she said casually. Cordelia put her toothbrush and toothpaste in her purse and took her cherry red gloss out of it, starting to apply it on her lips.

- Know what? – Buffy said sounding as casual as Willow, but, inside, terrified by the thought that her secret could be out. 'Please, God, don't'.

- The baby, slayer-girl. – Cordelia spoke up and Willow smiled at her gratefully. Inside the cabin, Buffy froze, then said:

- The baby? – Her voice shook slightly, and she thought desperately. 'They cannot know'. – The baby… - Tears appeared in her eyes and she mouthed a grateful thank you for the ceiling. She walked out of her cabin, the crystal clear drops running down her cheeks and ruining her make-up. – Okay, so there was a baby – she whispered – I had a miscarriage. Oh God, Willow, my baby. My sweet baby.

Willow knew Buffy would adore the baby with devotion, just because of who was its father. She stroke the blonde hair comfortingly and, awkwardly, Cordelia kneeled next to them.

- It was for the best, I bet – The witch whispered trying to cool Buffy down. – Just imagine. If you managed to go through the entire pregnancy and birth without harm, your child would be the perfect bait for you, having a risky life because you're its mom.

Listening to her friend's tries of being consoling, Buffy was sure she had made the right choice by lying to them about her state. After a few minutes, the brunette asked with concern:

- Shouldn't you be in a hospital?

- I checked in last night when I started bleeding but, after the doctor said my sweet baby was dead, I just got up, left and didn't look back.

- That's insane! – Willow exclaimed. She stood up and helped Buffy to her feet - Let's go, I'll take you to the hospital and check you back in. Cordy, go tell Giles…

- NO! – Buffy yelled desperately. – Please don't. I hate hospitals and am a minor, so they will call mom; I don't want anyone but the three of us to know that I was pregnant. And you can't tell anyone!

- But… - The two girls looked at each other.

- Promise me!


As the slayer watched his predatorily graceful moves, Buffy caressed her belly and prayed that her babies had his eyes. The expressive, chocolaty eyes she loved so much.

Tears filled her eyes. But, oh, God, that was not her Angel. That was Angelus, evil, mean, soulless. But she didn't love him any less because of his soulless ness. After all, Angelus, the demon, was a great part of Angel, the man she chose to love deeply and be the daddy of her children.

But there was a problem. Angelus would not love and protect her and the babies like Angel would, because he hated his soul. Instead, the Scourge of Europe would torture and kill her, because of the love Angel felt for her. And the love that he would feel for the babies.

It was a risk. But he needed to know.

TO BE CONTINUED

Next Time in 'Children Of Darkness': Part 2 of 14 – Realizations. Angelus learns he's going to be a daddy. The news bring him some news about himself and his feelings towards the slayer.